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Monday, March 29, 2010

Week #1 with the Olympus E-PL1

It's been a week now since the Olympus E-PL1 landed in my grubby mits and here are some sample photos. I have to say that the 20mm f/1.7 ASPH Panasonic lens that I bought with the camera may have stolen the show. I keep finding myself returning to this lens even though the 14-42mm lens included with the E-PL1 is supposed to be more versatile. I just like the results. They're really quite a joy. Check out the sample photos after the jump.

The 20mm f/1.7 lens lets in a lot of light, so I rarely need the flash, unless the subject is in shadow. And I’m really digging the shallow depth of field that the wide aperture allows.

The E-PL1‘s built-in “Art Filters” are surprisingly fun to play around with. I’ve been tripping out with the Pop filter and my toys.

The other night, some poor folks had the misfortune of having a fire. I documented it from our condo with some long-exposure photos. Amazing how much smoke one little fire can create.

I’m still trying to figure out how to use the E-PL1. It’s my first “real” camera after all, but so far, I’m quite impressed with the photos the camera has allowed me to take. I feel like I’ve leveled up as a photographer! But I know it’s just the camera.

6 comments:

The Olympus E-PL1 ($600) is $300 cheaper than the Panasonic GF1! That tipped the scales for me. (The older E-P1 is in the same $800 to $1000 price range.)

There are some small differences between the Olympus and the Panasonic. Olympus uses in-body image stabilization; Panasonic stabilizes with the lens. Also autofocus for the micro four-thirds Olympus cameras is kind of slow. Depends which is more important for you, but otherwise they're very similar.

Here is an awesome chart from dpreview comparing the two: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympusepl1/page3.asp

Hi Vince, I'm a follower of Topaz Horizon and I chanced upon your blog. Where did you get the Mario figurines? I'm a big fan of Super Mario. :D I saw similar ones on the display shelf of some random techie store, but they weren't for sale. :(